aster bee fly

(Sparnopolius confusus)

Conservation Status
IUCN Red List

not listed

NatureServe

not listed

Minnesota

not listed

 
aster bee fly
Photo by Babette Kis
 
Description

Aster bee fly is a small to medium-sized, stout-bodied, bee fly. It occurs in the United States east of the Great Plains, in southern Quebec and Ontario Canada and in Mexico. It is uncommon in Minnesota.

Adults are active in late July through September. They feed on flower nectar. The larvae are external parasites on the eggs of May beetles (Phyllophaga spp.).

Adults are ¼ to (6 to 9 mm) in length. The body is stout. When viewed from the side it is convex, but it is not strongly arched. It is black but it is densely covered with short, erect, yellowish hair.

The head is broad and directed downward. It is also densely covered with short, erect, yellowish hair. The back of the head (occiput) does not have a deep central cavity. The antennae are black and long, longer than the head. They have three segments. The first segment is narrow (linear). It is usually not swollen, but sometimes it is slightly swollen. The second segment is much shorter than the first. The third segment is tapered. It is not divided by rings (annulated). The eyes are bare, not covered with hairs. The rear margin is smooth, not deeply indented. The beak-like projection of mouthparts (proboscis) is moderately long, only a little longer than the antennae. The face is mostly hairless.

The first segment of the thorax is also directed downward.

The abdomen is oval, broad, flattened, and densely hairy. The hair on the abdomen is uniformly yellowish.

The wings are clear, and they are at least as long as the abdomen. There are 2 submarginal cells and 4 posterior cells. The second submarginal cell is longer than wide. The first posterior cell is open at the wing margin. Vein M2 is present.

The legs are long and slender. The third section (femur) on the hind legs has no bristles. The fourth section (tibia) on the middle and hind legs has a row of large bristles.

 

Size

Total length: ¼ to (6 to 9 mm)

 

Similar Species

 
Habitat

 

Biology

Season

Late July through September

 

Behavior

 

 

Life Cycle

 

 

Larva Food

Eggs of May beetles (Phyllophaga spp.)

 

Adult Food

Flower nectar

Distribution

Distribution Map

 

Sources

29, 30, 82, 83.

1/5/2025    
     

Occurrence

Uncommon in Minnesota

Taxonomy

Order

Diptera (flies)

Suborder

Brachycera

Infraorder

Asilomorpha (Orthorrhapha)

Superfamily

Asiloidea

Family

Bombyliidae (bee flies)

Subfamily

Bombyliinae

Tribe

Conophorini

Genus

Sparnopolius

   

The superfamily Asiloidea was formerly placed in Orthorrhapha, one of two infraorders of Brachycera, a suborder of Diptera. However, Brachycera did not contain all of the descendants of the last common ancestor (paraphyletic). It was split into five extant (still existing) and one extinct infraorder. Orthorrhapha is now considered obsolete and has not been used in decades, but it persists in printed literature and on some online sources. A recent revision of the order Diptera (Pope, et al., 2011) revived the name Orthorrhapha, but this has not been widely accepted.

   

Subordinate Taxa

 

   

Synonyms

Bombylius brevirostris

Bombylius confusus

Bombylius fulvus

Bombylius lherminierii

Dischistus aurifluus

Dischistus fuscipes

Sparnopolius cumatilis

Sparnopolius fulvus

   

Common Names

aster bee fly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Femur

On insects and arachnids, the third, largest, most robust segment of the leg, coming immediately before the tibia. On humans, the thigh bone.

 

Linear

Long, straight, and narrow, with more or less parallel sides, like a blade of grass.

 

Occiput

The back of the head. In Odonata, Megaloptera, and Neuroptera, the upper part of the head behind the eyes.

 

Proboscis

The tube-like protruding mouthpart(s) of a sucking insect.

 

Tibia

The fourth segment of an insect leg, after the femur and before the tarsus (foot). The fifth segment of a spider leg or palp.

 

 

 

 

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Babette Kis

Sparnopolius confusus Aster bee fly

Aster bee fly, photographed at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI on August 31, 2024. This fly was on Brown-headed Susan flowers.

aster bee fly   aster bee fly
     
aster bee fly   aster bee fly
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Babette Kis
8/31/2024

Location: Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI

Aster bee fly, photographed at Barnes Prairie, Racine Co., WI on August 31, 2024. This fly was on Brown-headed Susan flowers.

aster bee fly
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Created: 1/5/2025

Last Updated:

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